Grouse wins protection, but no endangered listing

"The greater sage-grouse warrants the protection of the Endangered Species Act but ... listing the species at this time is precluded by the need to address higher priority species first," the department said in a statement.

"The greater sage-grouse will be placed on the candidate list for future action, meaning the species would not receive statutory protection under the ESA (Endangered Species Act) and states would continue to be responsible for managing the bird," it said.

The statement confirmed what an environment group had earlier reported.

Under a full endangered species listing, activities that require federal approval or funds that could jeopardize the existence of a species or adversely modify its habitat would be subjected to scrutiny from the Fish and Wildlife Service.

But even as a candidate species, federal and state government agencies will be expected to work harder to protect its habitat so industry could still be impacted. And if these are deemed inadequate the bird could still get a listing.

(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by David Gregorio)